Ilandguy
May 17th, 2009, 05:44 PM
This was a 5 day Pacific Northwest cruise Vancouver, Seattle, Port Angeles, Victoria, Port Alberni, and Vancouver leaving 10 May 2009
Embarkation was great as there were only 2 ships leaving from Canada Place when we departed & returned. Other days when up to 8 ships were departing didn’t fare as well according to news reports. We were on board quickly with our rooms ready & our luggage soon delivered.
The Statendam is a well looked after older ship. I think it goes in for dry-dock refit in 2010. Keeping this is mind when booking a cruise on her will allow you to enjoy her timeless elegance. The fountain & escalators were still not functioning on this trip. The escalator wasn’t a problem for access as we like to use the stairs as much as possible. If the large fountain was working I can see how it would have added to the ambiance of center atrium. The ship was cool to cold in the public areas most of the trip. We often wore jackets inside after being out . The covered pool area was appreciated on this cruise as the first few days the weather was unseasonably cool. However they kept the cover partially open too far most of the time. This made it unnecessarily cold and most passengers were using the provided blankets and didn’t stay long by the pool. Keeping the cover closed would create a Tropical feel to the pool area even when in Alaskan waters. To one staff members credit they did close the cover after I suggested the passengers were cold. I’m sure on the nicer days by the pool that beverage sales went up as was with our gorgeous day in Port Alberni. So Hal keep the lid on when it’s cold outside Please!
The dinning room food was good to excellent with only a few minor complaints in our group about the lamb with no flavour. The “lobster” tail was also a bit on the chewy side. I really enjoyed the many fish dishes as they were cooked and flavoured to perfection. The crab cakes got our thumbs up too. Our group raved about the prime rib as everyone got their cut cooked as they like it. Our dinning room staff were very reserved compared to other lines. Most requests were acted upon quickly.
The Lido Buffet was just that. There was enough selection of fresh fruit & salad & entrées to suit most palates. We ate there mostly for breakfast having made to order eggs. My DW loved the fresh squeezed orange juice every morning. Even at the busiest times we were able to get a table or went out to the covered pool area to eat.
Our cabin was on deck 6. My morning walk around the entire ship under cover was the best part of being on this deck. Keeping in mind our inside cabin was at the back of the ship and when docking you will have a wake up call from engine & motor noises so no need to set an alarm on port days. Other than this the room was very adequate and well laid out for the 2 of us. Our cabin staff handled our requests for fruit and a foam pillow. The souvenir glasses left out were not cleaned as on other cruises with the salted rim clearly showing. Small points but we do compare our experiences to other cruises. The cabin was well maintained by our cabin attendants.
If you like dance routines the HAL dancers were energetic and entertaining considering the small stage venue they performed on. On other evenings there were 2 comedy shows. One was adult oriented and passengers were warned about the content but I suspect most on board didn’t appreciate the type of humour he used but he did make us laugh. The ventriloquist act was well executed and I found myself momentarily believing the “dummy” was real. The Statendam shipboard entertainment does what it is suppose to do, provide entertainment. We looked forward to each show after dinner. The piano bar also was very enjoyable and we found ourselves there most evenings.
This was a get-away cruise for us, so we did our own thing in ports as we are very familiar with the stops. The uncontrollable weather limited some enjoyment of this trip. However we would do this trip again if the price was right
Overall this is one classy ship. I would probably limit my cruising to 7 days or less or longer on a port intensive trip. I will look for her again after her refit in 2010
Embarkation was great as there were only 2 ships leaving from Canada Place when we departed & returned. Other days when up to 8 ships were departing didn’t fare as well according to news reports. We were on board quickly with our rooms ready & our luggage soon delivered.
The Statendam is a well looked after older ship. I think it goes in for dry-dock refit in 2010. Keeping this is mind when booking a cruise on her will allow you to enjoy her timeless elegance. The fountain & escalators were still not functioning on this trip. The escalator wasn’t a problem for access as we like to use the stairs as much as possible. If the large fountain was working I can see how it would have added to the ambiance of center atrium. The ship was cool to cold in the public areas most of the trip. We often wore jackets inside after being out . The covered pool area was appreciated on this cruise as the first few days the weather was unseasonably cool. However they kept the cover partially open too far most of the time. This made it unnecessarily cold and most passengers were using the provided blankets and didn’t stay long by the pool. Keeping the cover closed would create a Tropical feel to the pool area even when in Alaskan waters. To one staff members credit they did close the cover after I suggested the passengers were cold. I’m sure on the nicer days by the pool that beverage sales went up as was with our gorgeous day in Port Alberni. So Hal keep the lid on when it’s cold outside Please!
The dinning room food was good to excellent with only a few minor complaints in our group about the lamb with no flavour. The “lobster” tail was also a bit on the chewy side. I really enjoyed the many fish dishes as they were cooked and flavoured to perfection. The crab cakes got our thumbs up too. Our group raved about the prime rib as everyone got their cut cooked as they like it. Our dinning room staff were very reserved compared to other lines. Most requests were acted upon quickly.
The Lido Buffet was just that. There was enough selection of fresh fruit & salad & entrées to suit most palates. We ate there mostly for breakfast having made to order eggs. My DW loved the fresh squeezed orange juice every morning. Even at the busiest times we were able to get a table or went out to the covered pool area to eat.
Our cabin was on deck 6. My morning walk around the entire ship under cover was the best part of being on this deck. Keeping in mind our inside cabin was at the back of the ship and when docking you will have a wake up call from engine & motor noises so no need to set an alarm on port days. Other than this the room was very adequate and well laid out for the 2 of us. Our cabin staff handled our requests for fruit and a foam pillow. The souvenir glasses left out were not cleaned as on other cruises with the salted rim clearly showing. Small points but we do compare our experiences to other cruises. The cabin was well maintained by our cabin attendants.
If you like dance routines the HAL dancers were energetic and entertaining considering the small stage venue they performed on. On other evenings there were 2 comedy shows. One was adult oriented and passengers were warned about the content but I suspect most on board didn’t appreciate the type of humour he used but he did make us laugh. The ventriloquist act was well executed and I found myself momentarily believing the “dummy” was real. The Statendam shipboard entertainment does what it is suppose to do, provide entertainment. We looked forward to each show after dinner. The piano bar also was very enjoyable and we found ourselves there most evenings.
This was a get-away cruise for us, so we did our own thing in ports as we are very familiar with the stops. The uncontrollable weather limited some enjoyment of this trip. However we would do this trip again if the price was right
Overall this is one classy ship. I would probably limit my cruising to 7 days or less or longer on a port intensive trip. I will look for her again after her refit in 2010